Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1887-05-12

"She expects 1t, / guess.n And Jim,
only moved by the remembrances of
Nellie Barlow, and a wish to make her
Jealous, agreed to the proposition. He |
took Miranda to the picnic next day, |
and Nellie was there, and saw them to- |
gether; and remembering her note writ |
ten i'm moment of softness, when the
wish to recall certain angry words she
had said to Jim, was strong upon her,
she grew sick with shame. She had
held out her hand in reconciliation. and
he had not taken it. Could anything
make woman more indignant? After
that she never even looked at him.
Old Mrs. Wadsworth having kept
Jim's letter few days, felt that too
much explanation would be necessary
were she to give it to him after so long
delay. Besides it would be we'll for
her son that he should not see it. He
would of course, marry his Cousin
| Miranda-only a second cousin-a girl
she liked, and who would neverset her.
self up above her mother-in-law-a girl
who did not, like poor Nellie, look ag
gravatingly stylish.
But Jim did not marry Miranda. No
one will ever know whether Miranda
would have accepted him or not. After
awhile she married a Mr.. Wiseman,
who was better off than Jim, and old
enough to be his father; and Nelly, too
married. While her heart burnt with
resentment against her old lover, she
chose new one, dark, moody, silent
sort of man, who carried her away to
the city, whence there came rumors
that she was not happy, that her hus-
band led wild life. Once some one
declared that he was very madman in
his jealousy, and locked her in her
room at times. But no one knew
whether it was true or not. Her par
ents would never say anything about
J her.
AS for James Wadsworth, he had
gone to church to see her married and
had gone home with headache. The
next day he was delirious; brain fever
had set in and the doctors shook their
! heads over him. What he said in his
delirium only his mother understood;
} but if she could have undone the deed
that she had done, she would have
! thanked heaven. For weeks he lay at
deaths door, and then pale shadow
< crept about the house-the wreck of
= bright, handsome Jim Wadsworth.- =
e His beauty was gone, and no one felt
quite sure as to his mind. He answered
e sensibly enough when he was spoken
1 to, but voluntarily he never spoke.
!. After awhile he grew strong enough
to do farm work, and did what hi:
e mother suggested, and she grew used tc
: his altered ways. And so matters rest
:, ell when, ten years from her wedding
e day, Nelly came back to her fathers
n home in widows cap. And the peo
), pie of Kornhill learnt that her husband
r was dead, and began to wonder whethe
i he had left her money.
It Jim, blowing in the adjoining field
saw her as she sat upon the old home
e stead porch, and stood, for a momen
e staring at her. Then he left his plov
in the furrow, his horses standing wher'
,r they were, and went home. He tramp
e ed over the beds of vegetables, and tro(
l. down the young corn. He sought n,
le path. AS the bee flies he sought tn
- doorway at which his mother stoo
n staring at him, and walked into tn
re Kitchen past her without look.
"Jim, my boy,' said the old woman
e. "what is it?' -7.r-7.' '~7sr-. -'--~~-s-'s
"a He made her no answer; but went [
te his room and straight to bed. For houl
h, he never spoke to her. Then he bega
to babble. He uttered Nelly's name
- he reproached her with Inconsistency; b
called her tender names in one breat
er and cursed her in the next. Then h
le gave one wild cry and sprang up in h
to bed and dropped back again, with h
e. eyes staring toward heaven. He wt
IN dead; the mother knew that before the
he told her so.
H. The next day a coffin stood in tt
OF low-ceiled parlor, and in it lay pa
he statue with closed eyes-all that w;
g, left of Jim Wadsworth. One by OF
as the friends and neighbors came softly
ng to look at him, and went away mo
Sc softly, often in tears. At last came OF
woman-a fair woman, in widow
cap and veil, who stood longer than Il
ry rest looking at the still, white face, al
tn at her own request was left alone wi
er- it, while curious people in the 9th
ere room wondered whether it was trl
he that Nelly and Jim were once engag,
I'M and had quarreled. For this was Nell
'p- in her Widows weeds, who had come
er. look at Jim for the last time.
cd AS she stood there, with thoughts
which there were no words troopil
he through her mind, an inner door ope
I'd ed and an old woman crept in. 1t W
Mrs. Wadsworth, broken down at La
me and with the strange, restless light
en- an unsettled intellect in her light bl
ia eyes.
She held all old letter in her han
zen and it rustled as she slowly crossed t
be room and stood beside the coffin.
self "Jim,o said she, "here's your lett
oy, I've been thinking it over, and sin
ac. YOU take it so hard, you'd better ha
t. Ionly kept it for your own goc
lin. She amt the girl for you;
ter you take it so hard. Wake up, ii
of here's your letter."
en- But the white, frozen hands lay 81
ing upon the breast, and other small, livi
J. woman's hands grasped it instead
"" Nelly knew all the story now.
ne, "Here is your letter Jim," she VIII
pered. "Oh, Jim, Jim," and she laiC
, as softly under the white flowers upon t
md bosom, and, STOPPING, kissed the wax
It's hands and brow. "Oh, Jim, Jim!" s
said again, and let her black veil do
rit- over her face, and went her way; a
asst the gossips who stared after her as s
passed down the village street, wond
my ed again If she had ever been engae
[ to Jim Wadsworth, but none of til,
'n't ever knew. The grave kept its seer
do, so also, does woman's heart.
to-
They are looking for you everywhe
" / nro ftc af oi - In yalonaa